How the Explore Bursary Program Pays for a Five Week French Immersion

What Explore Is

Explore is a federally funded, intensive second-language immersion program. English-speaking students study French, and French-speaking students study English, at a host institution somewhere in Canada, over a 5-week session held in spring or summer, according to Canadian Heritage . For participants 16 and older, sessions run 31 to 33 days.

The program is funded by Canadian Heritage and delivered through the Official Languages Programs (OLP-PLO), administered by the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, at englishfrench.ca. Host institutions are spread across provinces, so your session location depends on which host school accepts you, not necessarily your home province.

Explore also runs the reverse direction for francophone students. If your first language is French, Explore places you in an English immersion session, so the program works both ways for a bilingual education system rather than only serving anglophone students learning French.

What the Bursary Covers

Explore's bursary contributes 3,850 dollars per participant aged 16 and older, and 2,760 dollars per participant aged 13 to 15. That amount is applied directly toward tuition, instructional materials, meals and lodging for the session, so most participants pay little to nothing for the core program costs.

Two costs stay with the student: travel to and from the host institution, and a 275 dollar enrolment fee. Budget for both separately when you plan your application, since neither is included in the bursary figure.

Travel costs vary widely depending on your home city and assigned host institution, since Explore does not let you choose your exact location freely. It places you among your ranked preferences based on availability. Factor in the possibility of a flight or a long drive when you budget, rather than assuming a nearby placement.

Step 1: Confirm Your Eligibility

You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to apply. You also need to meet your chosen Explore institution's minimum age requirement, since institutions set sessions for different age bands: 13 to 15, 16 to 17, or 18 and older. Check the specific host institution's listed age range before you apply, because not every institution runs every age band.

You also need a reasonably current level in your target language before you apply, even though Explore is designed as an immersion experience rather than a beginner course. Institutions place students into groups by ability once the session starts, so arriving with at least basic conversational skills helps you get more out of the five weeks.

Step 2: Apply Within the Application Window

Explore runs an annual application cycle with a fixed deadline, and it does not stay open year-round. For the 2026 intake, the main pan-Canadian application deadline was February 3, 2026, well ahead of the spring and summer sessions themselves. Deadlines shift slightly each year, so confirm the current cycle's exact date on the official Canadian Heritage Explore page or at myexplore.ca before you plan around it.

Step 3: Choose a Host Institution and Session

Explore runs at multiple postsecondary institutions across Canada, and each sets its own program details within the national framework, including which age band it accepts and how it structures its 5-week curriculum. Review the list of participating institutions and rank your preferences during the application, since placement depends on availability at your chosen sites.

Institutions differ in campus setting, from large urban universities to smaller regional colleges, and in the surrounding community's language environment. A session at a francophone-majority institution gives you more immersion outside class than one at a bilingual campus in a mostly English-speaking city, so factor that into your ranked preferences.

Step 4: Plan for What Is Not Covered

Once accepted, budget for your own transportation to the host city and the 275 dollar enrolment fee, both due outside the bursary amount. Some students combine Explore with a part-time job or family contribution to cover these extras, since the bursary itself is designed to remove the largest cost, tuition and living expenses, not every cost.

Who Explore Suits

Explore fits a Canadian high school or postsecondary student who wants a short, funded push on their second official language without committing to a full semester abroad. Five weeks is enough to move noticeably in conversational fluency, and the bursary removes most of the financial barrier that would otherwise block a full immersion experience.

Explore vs a Full Semester Abroad

A full academic exchange abroad runs a semester or a full year and involves tuition transfer agreements, visa paperwork in some destinations and a much bigger time commitment. Explore fits inside a single summer break, so it does not conflict with your regular school year the way an exchange might.

Think of Explore as a lower-commitment first step. A student unsure about a longer francophone exchange later, whether inside Canada or abroad, can use Explore to test intensive immersion for five weeks before deciding whether a longer commitment is worth planning around a full semester.